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The Mexican Child

From Work with the Family to Paid Employment

Centre de Recherche de L'iedes, bey{at}univ-paris1.fr

This article considers the role of work in the socialization of children who grow up in conditions of extreme poverty. It is based on research among families of seasonal migrant agricultural labourers from the south of Mexico coming to work in the north of the country. As this is one of the few options open to these peasant families, the article argues that it also represents an effective form of socialization that enables children to prepare for their future. The article discusses the conditions surrounding the children's work and schooling, whether the minimum age of employment should be enforced and raised from 8 to 14 years, and presents the dilemma of whether it is best for children to pursue waged labour or school education.

Key Words: child work • family • Mexico • migration

Childhood, Vol. 10, No. 3, 287-299 (2003)
DOI: 10.1177/09075682030103003


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